Xiao Chen walked past the desolate great desert and finally arrived at the end of the nether world. The other side possessed a hazy green splendor. The vibe of the living world assaulted their senses. It made Xiao Chen and Oxman feel as if it was a lifetime ago since they were in the living world, although they had only been in the underworld for a little more than a month.
“Eh? Over there…” Xiao Chen noticed a flickering purple light on the other half of the mountain left behind by Sengen.
“Swish!”
Xiao Chen flew above the few kilometer tall mountain as he unfolded his Undying Wings.
There was an Amethyst Cosmic Tree not taller than one foot. It was reasonable to say that it would be impossible for it to be amethyst in color.
Cosmic Tree, in the nether world, it would grow one inch in a hundred years, one foot in a millennium, ten feet in ten thousand years. At ten feet tall, it would be as red as a ruby, only by the time they grew to thirty feet tall would their colour change to amethyst. The longer they lived, the denser the spiritual energy they possess.
However, after examining it carefully, Xiao Chen found the problem. Although it was not ten feet tall, the trunk was growing sideways. This Amethyst Cosmic Tree had grown horizontally for no less than ten feet!
Its entire body was flickering with purple light. The trunk was almost transparent and was just as clear as a diamond.
It was impossible for Sengen to miss this Amethyst Cosmic Tree, but maybe he just didn’t put any importance in only one treasured tree. The Cosmic Tree was a rarely seen article, but Sengen had swept away a whole mountain of it and collected no less than a few dozen trunks, including two which bore the Cosmic Fruit.
Xiao Chen used Weapon Fusion and took the Amethyst Cosmic Tree into his body. This was unconditionally a sacred article in the world of immortals. Regardless of whether it was used to brew drugs or to craft a magic weapon, just by using a little Cosmic Wood, the rate of work would increase dramatically.
A ten feet tall Amethyst Cosmic Tree was definitely a rare item!
The lustrous Amethyst Cosmic Tree rose sharply from the level ground. It was gradually submerged into Xiao Chen’s body. When those huge purple roots completely separated from the soil, a brittle “tink” sound could be heard. A crystal clear divine light flickered on the ground as an Amethyst Cosmic Fruit was dragged out.
Just at this time, the little fatty Oxman who was riding on the Black Dragon King had already arrived. Looking at this scene, he immediately shouted in surprised, “Amethyst Cosmic Fruit!”
That’s right, it was indeed a glossy purple fruit. It was actually growing on the stolon.
“This… how is this possible? How did the fruit grow on the stolon, aren’t the fruits supposed to grow on the branches?” Oxman was dumbstruck. ⌈1⌋
There was no mistake, this was definitely a rarely seen Cosmic Fruit, but the place it grew from was a little eccentric.
Xiao Chen smiled. Regardless of which, he was able to obtain an Amethyst Cosmic Fruit. This was truly an unexpected gain.
“Fatty, I’m sorry, but I want to keep this Cosmic Fruit for the little critter. It doesn’t even have a physical body now, we still don’t know if it will be able to come back to this world smoothly.”
Oxman already knew about Keke’s circumstances, he naturally wouldn’t plan to take this Cosmic Fruit from Xiao Chen. He chuckled and said, “If Sengen knew this, he might regret it endlessly. Among a few dozen of those Amethyst Cosmic Trees, only two of them bore fruit, and the one he dropped just happens to have one.”
Speaking until here. The little fatty sighed with sorrow, “The Peacock’s divine ability is really unimaginable. Even in the nether world, finding one Cosmic Tree is very challenging in itself. Yet he was able to find a few dozen of them and took an entire mountain with him. I suppose he wants to transplant them at his meditative spot.”
Exiting via the tunnel, Xiao Chen and the fatty found themselves in one of the oasis halfway up the mountain. After trekking down the dangerous mountain on the edge of dangers, they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Two days later, they returned to the “Pure Land”. The bright colored fresh flowers, the rocking trees, and the fragrant soft grass was a sight for sore eyes. The specks of light and dense spiritual energy of the Pure Land was very harmonious and tranquil.
There’s no clamor of the mundane world, no fighting and scheming of human society, just by arriving at this place, one could feel as if their souls were purified.
“Oxman has returned once again, hahaha…” The little fatty survived by the skin of his teeth, and fused with the soul of the legendary Gozuki. He shouted happily in front of the village gate.
Qingqing. She was as picturesque and elegant as ever. She ran over to the village gate with agile steps. Her pure white dress and long hair fluttered in the breeze. She was just like a fallen deity, as if she was composed by a beautiful verse. She was just like a fairy made up by the world’s spiritual energy. It could be said that she was the perfect masterpiece crafted by gods.
Looking at her flying over from the fairyland, it was as if she was really a fairy. This kind of beautiful scene gave rise to some complicated desires.
Xiao Chen said without restrain, “Qingqing, if you were to go to the human society, I’ll bet the monarchs all over the continent would wage war because of you.”
Qingqing lightly creased her beautiful nose as a sharp glint circulated in her eyes, “Uncle, are you praising me, or are you scolding me as a femme fatale?”
“This girl is indeed a source of calamity.” Oxman said with a foolish tone, “I have seen two or three women with devastating beauty. Zhao Lin Er and Yan Qingcheng are extraordinarily beautiful, but somehow… they are still a level below Qingqing. Even Rowena, the one I like the most, still fall a little behind Qingqing.”
“Hehe…” The white-clothed Qingqing was intelligent and agilely walked around Oxman, she smiled and said, “Brother fatty, you are normally scatterbrained and foolish, never would I have thought you would have such a sweet mouth.” Soon after, she turned around to face Xiao Chen, and said, “Uncle, your complexion looks good. There are a few strains of black hair among the white hair now, looks like your life expectancy has increased.”
With the baptism of the leyline, Xiao Chen’s body condition had indeed become much better. More importantly, with the overflowing life energy from those divinized acupoints, his body’s constitution was slowly changing for the better.
Another half a year passed in the blink of an eye, Xiao Chen had already stayed at the Pure Land for about a year. During this time, he was determined to train and push himself to his limits. His power increased day after day. He had already stabilized his power at Historia’s Third Celestial Layer. It was no longer fluctuating like it was in the past.
He already found out from Oxman that Fairsnow was to be wed to the Middle Earth’s Tiger Clan. Presently, the troops that were escorting the bride were already on their way. Xiao Chen really wanted to make his move, but he didn’t have that kind of power at the moment.
Train in silence and forge ahead on the lonesome path by himself, that was the only thing he could do.
“Uncle…” The witty Qingqing came into the forest and found Xiao Chen at last. She gracefully jumped down from a tall tree and smiled gently, “Uncle, if you keep this up, you will become a log. You are always meditating all day long. I haven’t heard a single word from you during the past three days. This is not good for you if you keep this up. Meditating is also to train the heart, confining yourself to train like this won’t bear any good result.”
Xiao Chen suddenly understood. At the same time, he lamented. Geniuses truly existed in this world. His talent could already be said to be top notch, but if compared to Qingqing, he was still a little behind.
The eighteen year old Qingqing was more powerful than Xiao Chen and Oxman. The little fatty was not convinced and had challenged Qingqing before, as a result, he lost and ran with his tail between the legs.
Just what realm had the ethereal and vivacious Qingqing reached already, Xiao Chen did not know. What he knew was that only Lan Nuo was comparable to her in terms of talent.
“Uncle, you are so foolish, you are lost in thought again, hehe…” Qingqing giggled, and then she took out a jade bowl as if she was performing a trick, “This is a porridge made with black reishi mushroom and black sesame seed. Uncle, drink it quickly. This way, your white hair might darken sooner.”
Xiao Chen smiled and received the jade bowl. A warm feeling was flowing through his heart.
“Drink it quickly, Elder Turtle said you are very efficacious. I will cook one bowl for you everyday.” Qingqing stepped on the tree leaves and flew away gracefully.
Xiao Chen was enlightened by Qingqing, so he frequently went to tour the beastmen or jungle tribe’s villages.The beast folk were guileless and were very friendly toward him.
In the evening, in the middle of a wasteland, many tents of a certain beastmen tribe were lit up. Xiao Chen was currently sitting around the bonfire with a group of young beastmen as they were eating and drinking in the spacious outdoors. Just at this time, little fatty Oxman ran over in a hurry.
“Xiao Chen, I’ll let you in a good news. Just when Fairsnow finished paying her respects, her short-lived husband was killed by someone, hahaha…”
Xiao Chen set aside the wine cup and deer meat ⌈2⌋, wiped the oil from his mouth, and asked, “What happened?”
“Hey, have you ever heard of the number one assassin group in the mainland, Million Chrysus?” The little fatty proudly puffed up his chest.
The group of beastmen youth sitting around the bonfire were all outstanding in appearance, they were all very straightforward. One of them said, “Ox-headed brother, just spill it out, don’t keep us in suspense.”
Oxman was quite depressed. After the horns grew on his head, all his acquaintances began to call him ox-head. He snatched some deer meat and gulped down a cup of wine before he said, “Reportedly, this ‘Million Chrysus’ has already existed for countless years, and they have deep grudges against the Middle Earth’s Tiger Clan. It’s been passed down that, the first generation assassins tried to assassinate the tiger clan’s ancestor. That old White Tiger almost lost his life at that time. Hereafter, the grudges between both parties were impossible to unravel. This time, I heard that a genius was born among the youth generation of this ancient assassin group. He named himself Chrysus. It was him that assassinated the seventh son of the tiger clan’s lord. That is; Fairsnow’s husband.
“Delightful!”
The beastmen youth at the side shouted. They admired these kinds of heroics the most. They toasted in succession and gulped down the wine.
Million Chrysus, it was a long-established organization. The organization was founded a long time ago and it was already impossible to find any written records regarding their organization. They were an organization that were close to legend. During their golden age, they even dared to assassinate an immortal.
Moreover, legend had it they caused quite a few world-shaking incidents. Assassinating the White Tiger Emperor was one of the few incidents. Although they didn’t really manage to kill him, it was enough to secure their position as the best assassination group in history.
Oxman lamented, “It is reported that, even though the husband is already dead, Fairsnow was still wedded to the tiger clan. This woman is really unpredictable!”
Speaking until here, Oxman turned his head to face Xiao Chen and said, “How about… I get in touch with some brothers and go to snatch Fairsnow over, or maybe get rid of her?”
“That’s right, let’s go and kidnap her. I hear that she is one of the pearls in Southern Wasteland. Catch her and make her brother Xiao Chen’s or brother Gozuki’s wife.” The beastmen youths at the side wished for the whole world to be in chaos. They were normally very combative. After hearing something like this, they wanted to go and test their skills.
Xiao Chen shook his head and said, “With our power, it is enough to handle the youth generation, but if an old bastard shows up, we will be completely wipe out. Perhaps the Fair family and tiger clan are just waiting for me to return. This is not yet the time to make a move. If I am to make my move, I will definitely make them suffer. We cannot rush this kind of thing.”
The time flowed on like water, the fleeting years passed by in a flash. Xiao Chen spent his twenty-fourth birthday at the Pure Land. He had already lived in this place for three years. This place had already become his home. The beastmen and jungle race’s tribe had already become a second hometown to him.
His white hair had already turned black again. During these past two years, Xiao Chen always drank one bowl of piping hot black sesame porridge everyday. He was touched, but he found that there was nothing he could do to repay Qingqing. She did not lack anything nor did she want anything.
He wasn’t narcissistic enough to believe that, this fairy-like girl would have come to like him. Qingqing had transcendental beauty that exceeded the splendor of the moon. Taking care of him was only because of her kindhearted nature. Even if it was another man who arrived at this place, she would also take care of him just the same.
Just because she was kindhearted, it didn’t mean she was simple. In fact, Qingqing gave Xiao Chen quite a few headaches. Towards this uncle she had picked up, Qingqing frequently teased him. Even their peers in the nearby tribe felt very helpless. Qingqing would frequently play a harmless prank on them.
Seal of Aquarius!
Secrets of Turtle’s long life!
Flying Apsara!
Xiao Chen practiced the bizarre artes he learned from the elders.
He was about to leave this place. Training the mind was also a part of meditation. He needed to enter the human societies.
“Uncle, you are really going to leave?” Qingqing was playing on a swing in the flower garden. She heaved a sigh and said, “Sigh… nobody will play with me again. How about I go discuss with my grandfather and go look for you in the Middle Earth later on.”
Lu Bu who stands out among men, the Red Hare which stands out among horses ⌈3⌋. Two years ago, the legendary Lu Bu riding on the Red Hare had made an appearance on the Middle Earth’s battlefield.
One and a half years ago, Bai Qi ⌈4⌋, the human butcher who killed hundreds of thousands of men reconstructed his physical body and returned from the nether world with an army of twenty thousand.
Nine months ago, Buddha Dipankara ⌈5⌋ entered the Shang Dynasty of Middle Earth to spread their doctrine.
Eight months ago, Tongtian dispatched many of his disciples to the national border of Hsia Dynasty.
Seven months ago, Yuanshi dispatched Yunzhongzi ⌈6⌋ to the national borders of the Middle Earth’s Zhou Dynasty.
Half a year ago, the Demon King who was missing for a millennium once again appeared in the Southern Wasteland.
Three months ago, the almost forgotten founder of the Demon Sect made an appearance in the Middle Earth.
Two months ago, Sage Confucius ⌈7⌋ led nine chosen ones out of the seventy two disciples and appeared in the Middle Earth.
One month ago, the Supreme Zhang Sanfeng ⌈8⌋ appeared in the mortal world.
Some twenty odd plus days ago, Zhuang Zhou ⌈9⌋ transformed into butterflies and made an appearance.
More than ten days ago, Xiao Li the Flying Dagger killed seven angels in the Western part of Middle Earth.
These past two years, many legendary figures began to reveal themselves for some reason. And this seemed to be just the beginning.
Xiao Chen felt it was about time to enter the Middle Earth to learn through experience.
“This is goodbye, I will miss you guys.” Leaving behind half of the Amethyst Cosmic Tree, which was even more precious than gold, Xiao Chen departed from the Pure Land. His destination; the boundless Middle Earth! ⌈10⌋
1. Silva: Anything is possible for plot armor…
2. Fade: ? deep meat? steeped meat? dark meat?
Silva: Oh frick… what the hell is deep meet… I’ll need to check that later, but it’s probably deer meat?
3. Lu Bu specialised in archery and horse-riding, and possessed great physical strength. He was nicknamed “Flying General” (飛將) for his martial prowess.He also owned a powerful steed known as the “Red Hare” (赤兎). The Cao Man Zhuan recorded that there was a saying at the time to describe Lü Bu and the Red Hare: “Lü Bu [who stands out] among men, the Red Hare [which stands out] among horses”
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_Qi
5. According to some Buddhist traditions, Dīpankara was a Buddha who reached enlightenment eons prior to Buddha Gautama, the historical Buddha.
6. I got nothing on Yuanshi, but here’s information about Yunzhongzi
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Sanfeng
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuang_Zhou
10. Silva: Yep… lots of information gathering going on in this chapter… but hey, it’s finally the end of this arc, and the beginning of a new one!